drodfandomcom-20200214-history
Adder
Adders are huge green reptiles that live deep in the Beneath. Their thick plated skin renders them invulnerable to most attacks, although their heads are weak to attack. Their bulk prevents them from moving diagonally. Description Adders are subtle creatures, attuned to the secret vibrations of the soil. They're normally much larger than any other creature around, some having been sighted that are hundreds of feet in length. Thousands, if using actual feet. They usually feed on smaller animals, using their long bodies to restrict their prey's movement until closing in for the kill. As they're so large, they do have trouble changing direction and can't make sharp turns. Even more concerning is that their mighty body muscles, which propel them along the ground, aren't capable of subtle correction. One of the things adders have given up to grow to such a size, in fact, is any ability to fine-tune their movement. Their motion is chaotic and hard to predict, though not entirely random. Experienced smitemasters don't let this weakness fool them, however, into thinking adders are easily dealt with. Adder muscles are strong enough to resist even the greatest of pressures. Their skin is hard as rock. Smitemasters will occasionally -- if they relish the prospect of carrying a heavy roll of skin up a mile or so of stairs -- roll up adder skin and sell it aboveground, where it's used as a kind of leather. It isn't that flexible or easy to work with, but it's incredibly durable and very strong. The only problem is getting some, as it's heavy... and on adders. Unlike other giant wyrms, adders have enlarged heads which allow them to consume other monsters. This dramatic increase in size makes the head a vulnerable area. Additionally, adders will shrink like serpents if trapped by an adder body. Behavior Movement Adder behavior is more complex than most monsters', but not unlearnable. Adder movements follows these rules: * If the adder's prey is directly in front of behind it, it will try to move forward. * Otherwise, the adder will try to move vertically or horizontally toward its prey until they are in the same row or column. * The adder will alternate between moving horizontally and moving vertically every five moves. If the spawn counter ends in 0-4, the adder will prefer to move horizontally. If the spawn counter ends in 5-9, the adder will prefer to move vertically. * If the adder's desired move is blocked, then it will try to make the following moves in order: N, E, S, W. If the adder cannot move because it is trapped by an adder body (either its own or another adder's), it will shrink by one tile. If the adder cannot move because it is blocked by something else, it does nothing. Vulnerabilities * Adders will shrink by one tile for every turn they are stuck within an adder body. When it shrinks to one tile long, it dies. * Adders are vulnerable at their heads to hot tiles, floor spikes, and sharp weapon strikes. When an adder is damaged, it shrinks by one tile from the tail. * Adders are vulnerable to fire traps, puffs, being dropped into pits and water, and their heads being blown up. Adders bodies are immune to all other attacks, including briar. Other * Adders can consume other monsters, with the exception of rock giants, gentryii, puffs and other wyrms. They grow one tile for each monster eaten. Adders can also eat the corpses of rock golems. * Adders can traverse shallow water. * An adder's head is a brain-visible object, but the rest of its body is invisible. * Adders can't move across any type of potion or horn. Category:DROD Monsters Category:Monsters